The term “drain cleaner” as used herein refers to a mechanical device used to unblock pipes or drains. Such drain cleaners can be classified in two categories, according to their intended use; handheld drain cleaners and electric drain cleaners. If a single sink, toilet, or tub or shower drain is clogged the first choice is normally a drain cleaner that can remove soft obstructions such as hair and grease clogs that can accumulate close to interior drain openings. Handheld drain cleaners or “augers” are intended for this purpose. If more than one plumbing fixture is dogged the first choice is normally a drain cleaner that can remove soft or hard obstructions along the entire length of the drain, from the drain opening through the main sewer drain to the lateral piping outside the building. Electric drain cleaners are intended for this purpose.
Handheld drain augers are typically designed to clean portions of a drain within 25 feet (8 meters) of the drain opening. The cable of a handheld drain auger is driven into a drain by the mechanical force created when the operator rotates a drum that anchors the cable. Many handheld augers have cables that are thin enough to pass through common sink traps, but are typically only effective on smaller diameter pipes of ¾″ to 2½″ (19-64 mm). They are not well suited on larger drain and sewer pipes which can have diameters of 3″ to 8″ (75 mm to 200 mm).
By contrast, electric drain cleaners, also called “plumber's snakes”, use the mechanical force of an electric motor to twist a flexible cable or spring in a clockwise direction and drive it into a pipe. Electric drain cleaners are commonly available with cable lengths ranging incrementally from 25 feet (7.6 m) up to 100 feet (30.5 m) or longer. Although drain cleaners of the electric rotary variety possess certain advantages including the ability to clean long sections of sewer drain and the ability to remove solid objects such as tree roots and jewelry from pipes, they suffer from a variety of shortcomings. For instance, electric drain cleaners are relatively expensive, considerably heavy and are attendant with several safety risks. It is not unusual for the electric drain cleaning machine alone (without accessories and attachments) to weigh in excess of 100 pounds and many models can weigh up to three times that much rendering them useless for jobs that require access by ladder such as when accessing rooftop vent stacks. Even so-called “lightweight” and highly portable models can weigh over 40 pounds without accessories, and over 90 pounds with accessories, requiring significant physical effort to carry.
In view of the common need for cleaning out larger drain and sewer pipes having diameters of 3″ to 8″, and still further considering the need to access those drains from rooftop vent stacks and other locations requiring ladder access, it is apparent that a need exists for a lightweight and portable drain cleaning apparatus possessing heavy duty use capabilities normally associated with heavy electric drain cleaners.